Son Heung-min leadership row spills into politics amid reports of national team discord

A reported rift within the Korean national football team and questions over the leadership of captain Son Heung-min — reportedly called “No. 7" or “that person” by some teammates — reached the political aisle on Wednesday.

“Have relations among the players become so strained that they find it awkward even to say [Son's] name? People Power Party Rep. Jung Yeon-wook asked the Korea Football Association’s (KFA) acting President Lee Yong-soo during a parliamentary audit.

“Are you aware that some national team players reportedly refer to Son Heung-min as 'No. 7' or 'that person' rather than by his name?”

The lawmaker also cited comments from Kim Min-jae and Hwang In-beom after Korea's Oct. 2 friendly against Venezuela in Ulsan as possible signs of discord within the squad and how the KFA has been maintaining a passive attitude.

“I feel sorry for the defenders,” Kim said after the match. “It didn't feel like we were all fighting together.”

Hwang also made remarks that hinted at leadership problems within the team. “This is my ninth year on the national team, and change hasn't really happened in a lot of areas,” Hwang said. “That goes for football, but I don’t think things are working as they should in other areas, either.”

The parliamentary audit also revisited reports that three members of the national team born in 1996 — Kim, Hwang In-beom and Hwang Hee-chan — had privately expressed their intention to retire from international football after the Oct. 6 match against Uzbekistan in Yongin, Gyeonggi.

“I was briefly informed of what happened,” Lee said. “But we agreed to leave the matter to the national team, based on the principle that what happens in the locker room should be resolved in the locker room.”

Keeping the issue confined to the locker room will not satisfy the public's demand for answers, the lawmaker argued.

“The public has every reason to wonder what the KFA is doing to manage the national team,” the lawmaker said. “Why do the same conflicts keep recurring? Can any coach really fix a national team whose leadership has fallen apart?”

Lee said he hoped the situation would gradually improve.

“I hope the national team can become more united and gradually improve as it prepares for the November internationals and the Asian Cup [in January] under interim coach Robert Moreno,” Lee said.